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Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Special Item Reminders for This Week:Book Orders - I sent the forms home yesterday. If you would like to place a December order, please do so by the end of the school day on Friday. If you order online, my class code is MHHCD to connect. By ordering Friday, books should arrive before Christmas break. If you would like to order books as gifts, and would like me to keep them back for you to pick up, please let me know.

Santa's Workshop - We will go to Santa's Workshop at 8:45 Thursday morning. This is an opportunity for students to purchase small gift items and have them wrapped. The envelope with the "budget sheet" was also sent home on Monday.

Food Drive - You should have received emails previously, but we are wrapping up our non-perishable food item drive for KirkCare in Kirkwood. Our goal is to collect 1,000 items.

This Week Information:
This week we launched into our new science topic of water (and eventually we'll add climate components). We are continuing to work our way through the people of the Christmas story for religion. We are continuing to transition back to other reading groups and work after coming out of our research clubs for the Thanksgiving projects and some follow-up/wrap-up last week. Our special Christmas gift art projects are also coming along nicely! Monday we also spent time coding as part of the International Hour of Code Computer Science week (check out www.code.org for more great resources). It's a busy time in 3rd grade!

Advent: It's also a busy time at home and in the church year. I know that many of you choose to worship together for this Advent season at your own church or the 3:45 service at Webster. With that in mind, I will not assign Wednesday homework in December. Also, we will have inside pick-up on these Wednesdays as the parking lot gets too busy for outside pick-up.Memory Work:

John 1:14

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Philippians 3:20

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus.

Looking Ahead:
Next Friday, December 15th is the due dates for the student's map projects that were given out right before Thanksgiving. Students will be getting their graded map books back before the end of the week to use as a reference. Students will present about their map beginning Monday the 18th. I am not expecting a huge presentation just sharing the basic information about their country and map.

Mrs. Belsha has invited us to their Christmas program next week. Since we have so many siblings I plan to take our class to attend. Mrs. Braun's class is leading chapel on Wednesday next week for their program.

Please remember that the all school Advent Worship Service is Monday, December 18th at 6:30 at Concordia Kirkwood. Students are expected to attend and be seated with our class by 6:25. There will be a 3rd/4th grade recitation and song. The words for the recitation will become memory work next week in place of the Bible verses on the original schedule. Those words will come home Wednesday and I will post them on the blog as well tomorrow (they are currently not with me as I type this, my apologies).

Please plan to turn in service project forms before leaving for Christmas break.

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Romans 6:3-4

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptised into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Note: The word bank for fill in the blank version will be combined for the two verses

There will be no memory work during the short Thanksgiving week.Math and Social Studies Note:
Thursday we will begin a mini-unit which crosses over between math and social studies on map skills (covering standards for both subjects). There will be no math lesson from the math book until following Thanksgiving Break.

There will be a final map making project. Instructions will come home on Friday. This project will be due back December 15th. (Not all of the map elements required will be taught by Friday, so if you begin the project right away, know that some of it will still be covered next week).

No Spelling Next Week

Thanksgiving Projects Information:
The students' group Thanksgiving Projects are in final film editing. All of the groups/students did a great job overall. There was lots of deep learning that has taken place.

Thanksgiving Celebration Reminder:
You are invited to join us for the video viewing of the projects next Tuesday, November 21 beginning at 1:00 in the church sanctuary. Following the video presentations (approximately 2:00) you are invited to join us for pumpkin pie (which the students will be making on Monday afternoon) to celebrate their hard work. For those of you who are already traveling for Thanksgiving, videos should be able to be shared with you following the celebration.

Scholastic Book Orders:
Book orders were sent home earlier this week. There are more flyer options available online as well. If you would like to place an order please send the forms back or order online by Monday, November 20th at noon. (I will place the order that afternoon). My online code to connect to our classroom is MHHCD. If you would like to order any books as gifts please let me know and I will hold them back for you. I will plan to place an order in early December as well if you are looking for gifts then.

Field Trip Reminder:
We will be going to the Daniel Boone House on Monday, November 27th. (This is the Monday back from Thanksgiving Break). Due to requests from Daniel Boone House, this will be a student and teacher only field trip. Please pack a home lunch or let me know if you will need to order a school field trip lunch. I would like to give the kitchen a rough idea how many we will need before we leave for break.

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Thank you to everyone for your partnership with conferences. It was great to sit down and reflect together over your student's goals and how we can partner together to help them reach those goals.

Memory Work

The 9th Commandment and Meaning

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.

What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not scheme to get our neighbor’s inheritance or house, or get it in a way which only appears right, but help and be of service to him in keeping it.

Thanksgiving Presentation Info
This week we are beginning our social studies projects regarding the First Thanksgiving and surrounding people, places, and times. These are group projects where students are working in groups that cross-over classrooms. This week and into next week will work on students researching to answer their group's research question. Next week groups will be creating their projects to show their learning. We will then be recording their presentations and doing some extension work. Most work should be accomplished at school, however some additional research, etc. may need to happen at home.

We will be having a Thanksgiving Celebration that parents are invited to attend on Tuesday, November 21. We will watch video presentations to celebrate learning from 1:00 until approximately 2:00. We will then serve pumpkin pie to celebrate with our families. We will be sending home additional information soon, but these are the major details.

Upcoming Field Trip
We have scheduled our next field trip for Monday, November 27 to the Daniel Boone House. This is the Monday we come back from Thanksgiving Break. Please let me know by Monday, November 6th if you know that you will not be back from Thanksgiving travels. The Daniel Boone House has requested teacher chaperones only as physical space is limited in several of the structures we will visit.

Notes From Conferences:
I tried to send home any materials that I mentioned I would look for during individual conferences. Please let me know if you are looking for something and have not seen it yet. I'm still working on trying to find some better resources for two part instructions in math - I have some I can send home but they are not exactly what we are wanting, so I will continue to search. If there is any resource you would like help locating that we may not have talked about at conference, please let me know and I will see what I can do.

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him, slander him, or hurt his reputation, but defend him, speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way.

Psalm 46:11

The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Note for Friday:
This Friday will be our fall harvest party at 2:00. Please be in contact with Mrs. Haase, our room coordinator, if you have any questions about how you can be involved. Report cards will come home on Friday and be electronically released. I will be out Friday for a personal day with my family in Kansas - please make sure to communicate any important information through the office as I may not see it in time to pass it on to my sub. I'm sad I'll miss the fall party (parents here - take pictures, I would LOVE to see them!) and I will be sure that my sub or Mrs. Sanft gets report cards personally handed out to the children.

Next Week:
Looking ahead, next week is a very busy week. Plan to stop in to visit the book fair Monday afternoon, Tuesday, Wednesday (including breakfast with a buddy beginning at 7 am), or Thursday until 2:00. The proceeds benefit our school library. I know Mrs. Sullivan has a long list of books she would like to order!

Tuesday evening is the Candy Corn Festival for Kindergarten and younger students. I'm sure I'll see some of your families that night!

Thursday of next week, students are dismissed at noon. They do not have class on Friday. Thursday afternoon and evening, and Friday morning, are Student conferences. You will receive your time in your report card envelope on Friday. This year conferences will only be half student led, then we will excuse the student and have a few minutes of parent-teacher follow-up. Conferences are tightly scheduled on 20-minute blocks, back to back, many with conferences for another teacher surrounding them. We would love to please, please try our best to keep on schedule for the evening. Thank you so much for your help in this!

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

I hope that you enjoyed the carnival this past weekend and have found time to recover since then! Here are the important notes for upcoming 3rd grade news.Social Studies Project Reminder:
We have wrapped up our class learning for our rural and urban unit. Students were given project instructions last week explaining what needs to be completed to demonstrate their learning. We are asking that this project creation happens at home for this unit. The final due date is Monday, October 9. InstructionsGrading Rubric (These have been shared with the students) Additional research resources available on the website tab of my blog.

Memory Work:

The 6th Commandment and Meaning

You shall not commit adultery.

What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we lead a sexually pure and decent life in what we say and do, and husband and wife love and honor each other.

Psalm 46:9

He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire.Casual for a Cause:If students bring one of the personal care items on the information that has been sent out or a cash donation to support CCLS-Uganda on Friday, students have the opportunity for a free dress day. Students who do not bring a donation are asked to follow normal Friday Spirit Wear expectations. Please bring your donation to Mr. Fishburn's classroom.FIELD TRIP: Oct 16
Our next field trip is scheduled for Monday, October 16. We will begin the day at the zoo, eat our lunches, and then attend an interactive workshop through the History Museum. We will leave school as close to 8:30 as possible and return around 2:30. You are welcome to join us, the more groups we can have at the zoo, the more enjoyable it is! Please let us know if you plan to join us by Wednesday, Oct. 11 so we can create groups accordingly!

Service Project Forms:
The end of 1st quarter is quickly approaching, so please do not forget to turn in completed service project forms by next Friday, October 13.

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we lead a sexually pure and decent life in what we say and do, and husband and wife love and honor each other.

Psalm 46:9

He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire.

Social Studies:
We have wrapped up our class learning for our rural and urban unit. Students now have a project to complete to demonstrate their learning. We are asking that this project creation happens at home for this unit. The final due date is Monday, October 9. InstructionsGrading Rubric (These have been shared with the students) Additional research resources available on the website tab of my blog.Math:
This week we reviewed for our first math test, took it Tuesday, and are now working on something new that comes with the book version of our math - an Investigation. These typically follow after every 10th lesson and focus on a math skills in a different analysis approach. We are currently beginning with pictographs and bar graphs. We will return to "normal" math lessons on Friday (although no homework since it's a weekend!)

Some skills we have been working on that often help to be reinforced at home include information about the quarter of an hours (quarter past, quarter 'til, half past) and help working on our calendar (days in each month, month order, etc) temperature skills (freezing point, boiling point, normal body temperature, paying attention to difference between F and C), and including important/necessary labels (especially AM or PM). In 3rd grade we continually move towards problems with multi-steps, support in working through multi-step problems is beneficial. Several of these above concepts are ones that just have to be memorized and will continued to be referenced throughout the year.

Working on math facts, especially addition and subtraction is essential. It will not seem like very long before we are moving towards our focus on multiplication, eliminating a lot of our practice opportunities for addition and subtraction. We will be using the online program Xtra Math to work on our facts. I really like this program because it's individualized based on student progress and truly focuses on mastery based on brain research for response times, etc. Several students mentioned that they already use this at home. I will be sending home flyers to connect with our class account from home. If you connect your account from home, I believe it should merge the accounts so that progress is shared between past and our new account as well as giving you the opportunity to practice at home.Carnival:
This weekend is the school carnival! Stop by the Kirkwood campus Friday or Saturday for a time of fun and fellowship! It's always a highlight of the year.

CCLS Sunday at Webster Gardens:
We celebrate our school at each of our association churches at least once per year. This coming Sunday, October 1, will be CCLS Sunday at Webster Gardens. Mrs. Killian has been working on the first verse of A Mighty Fortress is Our God. Any elementary students present will be invited to join together at the front of the church to sing the verse for the opening hymn during the 10:45 service.Upcoming Field Trip:
Our next field trip is scheduled for Monday, October 16. We will begin the day at the zoo, eat our lunches, and then attend an interactive workshop through the History Museum. Full details will be coming out soon. Put it on your calendar and feel free to let me know now if you are interested in joining us. The more groups we can have at the zoo, the more enjoyable and easier to manage it is!

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

We are starting to get rolling in math, learning how to use our books and getting used to the structure of the lessons. You are likely starting to see a little homework come home. My goal is that students should have work time to get started, with completing approximately the final half (or after #11) as homework.

Memory Work:

The 4th Commandment and Meaning

Honor your father and your mother.

What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not despise or anger our parents and other authorities, but honor them, serve and obey them, love and cherish them.

Psalm 46:6-7

The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Spelling:
This week we continue to work with final consonant clusters. Just a reminder that we glue our spelling lists, practice tests, and final tests into our spelling journal so we have an ongoing record of our work. To see these items, remember to check Seesaw as we post pictures of each step.

Field Trip FRIDAY:
We leave for Fresh Pasture Farms (1931 Kropp Rd, Millstadt, IL) by 9:20. We will tour the farm and eat our lunches underneath their trees in the grass. We will then head to the Science Center to the Grow Exhibit, arriving approximately 1:00 and leaving around 2:00. Parents are invited to attend, but due to class size numbers should not plan on being able to ride the bus. Please let me know if you intend to go along. The parent cost is $10 for the farm. Student field trip costs are now included, so there will be no additional charges.

Christian Character Formation Project:
This week we are studying how David spared Saul's life (1 Samuel 24) showing integrity.

Book Orders:
Book orders were given out and I think everyone took them out of their mailboxes (I moved my mailboxes this year due to classroom arrangement and it's not working for the kids or me to remember to always check them at the end of the day, so I'm searching for a new home location in the classroom for them.)

I'm still trying to solve my online ordering issue with Scholastic. Hopefully later today I will finally have that resolved. You can always order by flyers and send in a check. Please send paper copies by Thursday, online by Friday. I will submit the order over the weekend.